A mild case of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn due to anti-Sc2.

We report the case of a newborn girl with jaundice due to increased indirect bilirubin with a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and compensated hemolysis. The result of the newborn's DAT was discrepant with the negative result of the mother's indirect antiglobulin test. The multiparous mother had a previous history of fetal hydrops miscarriage, with no known cause, and no record of the cause was found at the hospital where she was treated. After referring samples from the mother and newborn to a reference laboratory, the rare alloanti-Sc2 was identified in the mother's plasma and in the newborn's eluate. HEA BeadChip genotyping of the newborn's DNA sample predicted the SC:1,2 phenotype.We report the case of a newborn girl with jaundice due to increased indirect bilirubin with a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and compensated hemolysis. The result of the newborn's DAT was discrepant with the negative result of the mother's indirect antiglobulin test. The multiparous mother had a previous history of fetal hydrops miscarriage, with no known cause, and no record of the cause was found at the hospital where she was treated. After referring samples from the mother and newborn to a reference laboratory, the rare alloanti-Sc2 was identified in the mother's plasma and in the newborn's eluate. HEA BeadChip genotyping of the newborn's DNA sample predicted the SC:1,2 phenotype.

Seroconversion and Abundance of IgG Antibodies against S1-RBD of SARS-CoV-2 and Neutralizing Activity in the Chilean Population.

COVID-19 is a pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. In Chile, half a million people have been infected and more than 16,000 have died from COVID-19. As part of the clinical trial NCT04384588, we quantified IgG against S1-RBD of SARS-CoV-2 (anti-RBD) in recovered people in Santiago and evaluated their suitability as COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors. ELISA and a luminescent SARS-CoV-2 pseudotype were used for IgG and neutralizing antibody quantification. 72.9% of the convalescent population (468 of 639) showed seroconversion (5-55 µg/mL anti-RBD IgG) and were suitable candidates for plasma donation. Analysis by gender, age, and days after symptom offset did not show significant differences. Neutralizing activity correlated with an increased concentration of anti-RBD IgG (p < 0.0001) and showed a high variability between donors. We confirmed that the majority of the Chilean patients have developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The quantification of anti-RBD IgG in convalescent plasma donors is necessary to increase the detection of neutralizing antibodies.

A methodology for the digital reconstruction of an interferogram, a schlieren image, or a shadowgram from a single digital holographic recording.

This study presents an optical assembly and digital reconstruction method that is based on digital holography for characterizing transparent objects. The image-plane optical setup is based on a versatile Mach-Zehnder interferometer for the formation of controlled parallel fringe patterns, of tens micrometers of separations or less. The numerical reconstruction of the propagated wavefront by the hologram is performed by the Fresnel-Kirchhoff transform, and it is used of three ways: (a) interferometric phase reconstruction (as in interferometry) in the phase object position, (b) reconstruction of the wavefront amplitude at a determined distance from the object (shadowgraph technique), and (c) a composed digital reconstruction process of the wavefront amplitude, defined by a digital optical assembly for the selection of angular deflections produced by the phase object (schlieren technique). The resolving power of holographic reconstruction methodology proposed is determined by the sensitivity of hologram for detecting the interferometric phase. The fringe pattern of the hologram defines a minimum phase shift resolution of 0.15π rad. The scope of the technique is experimentally tested for a steady-state phase object.

Genetic variations in host IL28B links to the detection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells-associated hepatitis C virus RNA in chronically infected patients.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is mainly hepatotropic; however, several reports document the presence of genomic viral RNA in extrahepatic sites including peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In this study, the presence of HCV RNA was initially evaluated in the plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 53 HCV-infected patients who were treated per protocol. PBMC-associated HCV RNA was detectable in 79% of patients. Early virological response to combined pegylated interferon-α (PegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) therapy in patients with undetectable levels of PBMCs-associated HCV RNA was 100%, while it was 60% (P = 0.003) in those who had detectable levels of PBMC-associated HCV RNA. A sustained virological response was observed in 35% of patients with detectable PBMC-associated HCV RNA, but was 70% in patients with undetectable levels of PBMC-associated HCV RNA (P = 0.07). In a multivariate analysis incorporating parameters such as HCV genotype, viral load, presence of cirrhosis and absence of PBMC-associated HCV RNA, a significant relationship was observed between the detection of PBMC-associated HCV RNA and the sustained virological response (OR 19.4, 95% CI: 2.1-486.2, P = 0.0061). The association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in IL28B, known predictor of antiviral therapy outcome, and the occurrence of HCV RNA in PBMC in 84 chronically infected patients was then evaluated. Results suggest that the presence of a G allele in rs8099917, known to associate to a poor response to PegIFN/RBV therapy, also predicts an increased association of HCV RNA with PBMC (OR: 3.564; 95% CI: 1.114-11.40, P = 0.0437).

Frecuencia de periodontitis en una muestra de diabéticos tipo 2 y no diabéticos de Santiago de Chile / Frequency of periodontitis in a sample of type 2 diabetics and non diabetics

Background: Periodontitis is highly prevalent in the general population and some diseases such as diabetes could favor its development, reaching a prevalence of over 60 percent. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of periodontitis in a sample of DM2 patients and to compare it with non-diabetic subjects. Patients and Methods: We enrolled patients with DM2 and non-diabetic adult subjects. According to periodontal diagnosis, they were classified as healthy, having mild to moderate periodontitis and having severe periodontitis. Anthropometric assessment was performed and a fasting blood sample was obtained to measure blood glucose and lipid profile. In diabetics, HbA1c, creatinine, microalbuminuria, EKG and fundoscopy were evaluated. Results: We studied 62 patients with DM2, aged 55.2 +/- 9.4 years and with 4.7 +/- 4.6 years of diagnosis of diabetes and 65 non-diabetic subjects, aged 50 +/- 9.6 years. Among diabetics, HbA1c values were 7.85 +/- 2.3 percent. The proportion of periodontitis was significantly higher in DM2 than in non-diabetics (98 and 89 percent, p = 0.02). Mild to moderate and severe periodontitis was observed in 39 and 60 percent of diabetic patients, respectively. Among non-diabetics, 11 percent were healthy, 5 percent had gingivitis, 37 percent mild to moderate periodontitis and 48 percent had severe periodontitis. The frequency of chronic complications of diabetes was low, except for positive microalbuminuria, that was present in 42.6 percent of patients. Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of periodontitis in diabetic and no diabetic patients, but among the former, it was near to 100 percent. Periodontal examination should be considered as part of the evaluation of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Estado de salud periodontal en diabéticos tipo 1, de 18 a 30 años de edad, de Santiago de Chile / Periodontal disease in Chilean type I diabetic patients between 18 and 30 years old

Background: The prevalence of periodontal diseases, gingivitis and periodontitis, is higher in diabetic patients and can have severe functional and esthetic consequences early in their lives. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of periodontal disease in type 1 diabetics, aged between 18 and 30 years old, living in Santiago de Chile. Subjects and methods: One hundred male and female type 1 diabetics were examined. Glycated hemoglobin A1c, microalbuminuria, and fundoscopy were assessed in a sample of 52 subjects, separated in two groups according to the presence of periodontal disease. Results: The prevalence of gingivitis was 22 percent, periodontitis 41 percent. Only 37 percent of subjects were free of periodontal disease. When compared with patients without periodontal disease, in the group of patients with the disease there was a higher proportion of subjects with diabetes lasting more than 10 years (28 and 55 percent respectively) and a higher proportion of patients with chronic complications of diabetes (42 and 58 percent respectively). Conclusions: A high prevalence of periodontal diseases was observed in this sample of diabetic patients. A long history of diabetes and the presence of chronic complications were risk factors for these diseases in the analyzed sample

Seguimiento a largo plazo de mujeres tratadas con implantes anticonceptivos de Levonorgestrel Norplant / Long-term follow up of women treated with contraceptive implants of norplant levonorgestrel

Este trabajo describe el seguimiento a largo plazo de 376 mujeres que recibieron los implantes Norplant durante el período comprendido entre octubre de 1974 y mayo de 1979. En ciento diez de estos casos, se reemplazaron los implantes luego de diferentes plazos de uso del primer set. Los niveles promedios de levonorgestrel plasmático declinaron en forma paulatina a través de ocho años de uso continuo de las cápsulas Norplant (r=937). Los valores fueron 0,35 ng/ml, 0,29 ng/ml y 0,22 ng/ml durante el primer, quinto y octavo año de tratamiento, respectivamente. Luego de la extracción de Norplant y su reemplazo con un segundo set de implantes, los niveles de levonogestrel plasmático fueron similares a aquellos observados después de la primera inserción, tanto cuando se colocaron en el mismo lugar que el primer set como cuando se ubicaron en un área diferente. Se estableció que la vida media del levonorgestrel en plasma después del retiro de los implantes es de 42 ñ 16 h (x ñ D. S) y que sólo quedaban cantidades mínimas en circulación después de 96 h. Durante 18.530 meses-mujer de uso del primer set de implantes se produjeron diecinueve embarazos, once de ellos entre el sexto y octavo año de tratamiento. El índice de Pearl para los primeros cinco años de uso de implantes Norplant fue 0,63. En los 5.020 meses-mujer observadas durante el tratamiento con un segundo set de cápsulas no se ha producido ningún embarazo. Cincuenta y seis mujeres (14,9%) de las 376 usuarias del primer implante, y doce (10,9%) de las 110 mujeres que aceptaron el reemplazo de los implantes se retiraron del estudio por razones médicas, principalmente efectos secundarios asociados frecuentemente con la contracepción hormonal..